BBBO Birdies

Golden-crowned Kinglet and my thumb

This week I have been posting pictures from our “big” banding day at Braddock Bay Bird Observatory, which is located in Rochester, NY. My first two post talked about the Wood-Warblers and the Thrush species that were banded by the BBBO Staff. Today I wanted to do a post on some of the other great birds that were banded and how the staff is able to run a station like this.

Gray Catbird

After the birdies are removed from the mist-nets, they would be taken back to the banding station to be banded. The volunteer staff is very organized and each staff member has a specific job that need to be done. Those that remove the birds from the nets are the net-pickers who make sure every half hour the 70ish nets scattered around the property are bird free. The banders are the ones who identify the birds and place the metal bands on their legs. They take numerous measurements, weigh them and then release them. The Braddock Bay Bird Observatory staff can have 4 banders processing birds at one time with 2 recording assistants. The recorders job is to make sure that the data being given to them by the 4 banders are properly being recorded into the log book. Did I mention how organized they are?? No wonder they are able to process hundreds of birds in a day!!

Red-eyed Vireo

When Young Naturalist J and myself arrived at the station . . . .the BBBO Team was in full force banding birds. We kind-of crashed the station and arrived without letting them know ahead of time that we were coming. They were very friendly and we gave our hugs before the staff went right back to work. The very first bird we were handed after being weighed was the Golden-crowned Kinglet. Young Naturalist J noted how tiny this little birdie was and suggested that we take its photo next to my thumb (see above).

Brown Creeper

They were banding the birds so quickly and if we did not watch to see when they were weighing the bird we wanted a closer view of . . . . it would quickly be released out the window. I am trying to remember some of the other great birds we missed but the Winter Wren is the main bird that I keep on thinking about. That is one that I was watching as the bander was banding, some how got distracted by another bird they had and then realized the wren was gone!! Uggg

White-throated Sparrow

We had several species of swallows which included the White-throated Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow and Song Sparrow. I might have missed the Lincoln’s sparrow with the busyness but that’s one species that I was hoping to see up close again.

Swamp Sparrow

The best part of visiting a banding station like this is that you just never know what they might catch. The “your kidding” capture for the day had to be the House Finch. I guess if it’s a Black-and-white Warbler or House Finch, they all should be treated the same (and so I also photographed it)!

I think the Golden- crowned Kinglet is one of the prettiest birds I have ever seen. I have the House Finch here in the Spring time. I also have a Red tailed Hawk that regularly flys over our neighborhood, it is a little unusual because we live on the edge of town, and it seems like they are usually deeper in the country. Thanks for the kind response to my question on the banding, i am learning as i go. ~nita~

Great system, bird banding is awesome! I have helped out at our nearby Sand Bluff Birding Observatory, but I can’t handle the birds directly (because of nerves and allergies). We should have a “Bird Bander Appreciation Day” for those who work so hard to gather all this great research. 🙂

I can’t believe you got to hold a Golden-crowned Kinglet. I can barely get a photograph of one. In late fall and winter we get lots of Golden-crowned and the Ruby-crowned, as well. No matter how still I stand, I have only gotten blurry shots of them. They are hardly ever still. Amazing to see one up close.

I don’t know how you learn to hold the birds the way you do, but they all look quite content and not full of fear at all. It’s really very sweet to see them like that.

@ Nita – they are very pretty for sure! Thanks and sent you an email about the banding!
@ Veery – thanks and very interesting about your allergies! It is wonderful you are able to enjoy them in other ways though!
@ Robin – LOL, also had a ruby but not sure why we didn’t photograph one. They are not easy for sure in the wild!

Oh my goodness! So tiny!!
I want to see them too.
Thank you for all the bird photos.
There are so many I have never seen.
I also am curious about the banded birds.
Do other stations catch them and report back to your station?
How does this work?
Sherry

@ Susan – tell me about it! thanks
@ liz – thanks
@ cestoady – thanks and was fun seeing. regarding already banded! At my station we do get many more recaptures but those are to be expected because they are breeders and they are returning to breed in the same area. This migration work does get some recaptures but very few! those they do get are their own from previous day or so with the bird not moving on yet. I see many more foreign (someone else banded) with my saw-whet owls! I have caught 4 Saw-whet Owls from different banders up north. I have only caught 2 songbird recaptures and one of which was more or less banded very close by (and would be expected to return to the spot).
@ toni – they are cute for sure!
@ threecollie – great and hope I can keep the learning part of this going!
@ sherry – thanks and look for a banding area near you. if a foreign bird is recaptured, they get reported to the bird banding lab who has all the bands in one big database.
@ marg – we sure did and is a very big station.
@ marty – I would be willing to say the same thing about your great birds that you get! Anytime for sure!

Great pics. I love the perspective on the kinglet.
On my way to Burlington VT today, I stopped at Crown Point Bird Conservation Area on Lake Champlain where Mike Peterson runs a banding station during the spring only. What an experience that was.
We decided we needed to head out to western NY next spring to visit your station. I’d love to see you at work.

@ Ladybug – thanks and happy to!
@ mary – thanks and I two love both of the kinglets! You should be able to find a banding station in your area somewhere!
@ Dove – thanks and helps having them up close! They are cute for sure those kinglets!
@ Bernie – Still getting hits from the warblers! How crazy!
@ Zen – I only deal with breeding birds and saw-whet owls in the fall! This place that I am at does do spring/fall migration work and about 2.5-3 hours away from where I live. But, BBBO is a great place to go for sure in the spring!
@ Barb – Maybe this housefinch come from your house?

Oh that Kinglet is so tiny and cute! I have never seen one. It amazes me the variety of birdies you all get every time you band. I swear Tom, if I did what you get to do for a living, I would have to have some sort of procedure to relax the constant plastered smile to my face.

I love that thumbshot (the little guy looks like he got a bit of raindrop on his head.) I really like your house finch shot – one or two occasionally show up on my feeder still so I’ve gotten a few recent shots of them myself. Other than that it’s pretty quiet on the western front. Hey, once again, gorgeous shots!

@ Jayne – they are cute for sure! I kinda wish I had photographed the many Ruby-crowned Kinglets they had! BTW: I had to take off of work last Monday to go do this (along with all my other banding days that I do)!
@ Jeremy – thanks and how have you been doing? How is the job? No pictures tonight!
@ aullori – thanks and they wet the head so that they can see through the skin at its skull. The younger birds have not developed their skull yet and helps with aging the bird.
@ Larry – I would have loved to see all those kinglets!
@ Ruthie – thanks and we did help with the net checks!

Welcome!

Welcome to the mon@rch nature blog and I hope you join us in some of our nature adventures through the Allegany State Park area!

I am a naturalist, field biologist and nature photographer from the Western New York area. I have started exploring nature writing through this blog and it truly has been fun sharing my numerous adventures with everyone. Thanks to the many other authors that help me with my post and they will be sharing some of their nature explorations.

I have always had a latent interest in birds and photography and have been lucky enough to find time to explore these interests over the last few years. I am very thankful to the Cattaraugus County Bird Club for getting me started, sharing their wealth of knowledge and for their wonderful programs. And many thanks to Tom for letting me share some of my adventures and photos on the Monarch Nature Blog.